TURKEY BRAISED WITH CRANBERRIES

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Turkey Braised With Cranberries image

Those who believe the best part of the Thanksgiving turkey is the day-after sandwiches with leftover cranberry sauce will welcome this recipe. It teams the relatively unappreciated drumsticks with the rarely used fresh cranberries to produce a dish of uncommon complexity.

Provided by Mark Bittman

Categories     dinner, main course

Time 2h

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 12

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
Several sprigs of fresh thyme
3 turkey drumsticks
Salt and pepper to taste
2 medium onions, or 1 large, peeled and sliced
1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and discarded (or reserved for stock), caps sliced
1/4 cup sugar, or to taste
1 cup stock or water, or more as needed
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 pound cranberries, rinsed

Steps:

  • Combine tablespoon of butter with oil in deep skillet or casserole large enough for turkey legs to fit comfortably. Turn heat to medium high; after a minute add garlic and thyme. Cook for a minute, add turkey legs. Brown on both sides (they will brown unevenly, because of their shape), sprinkling with salt and pepper, and stirring garlic so it does not burn. Remove turkey.
  • Add onion, mushrooms, sugar, pinch of salt, and some pepper, and cook; stir occasionally, and adjust heat so vegetables do not burn. When very soft, add 1 cup liquid, half the zest, and cranberries. Bring to boil, return turkey to pan; cover and adjust the heat for a steady simmer.
  • Cook about 2 hours, checking every 30 minutes and adding more liquid if necessary, until meat is very tender. Taste sauce, and add more salt, pepper, and sugar if necessary. Remove meat; if sauce is soupy, raise heat and reduce a little; stir in remaining butter. Carve meat as neatly as you can; serve on a bed of sauce, garnish with remaining orange zest.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 668, UnsaturatedFat 19 grams, Carbohydrate 42 grams, Fat 32 grams, Fiber 9 grams, Protein 57 grams, SaturatedFat 10 grams, Sodium 1373 milligrams, Sugar 24 grams, TransFat 0 grams

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